Who are Naomi Rhodus and Ryan Kevorkian? Details about Wicked Game subject, explored

Hulu's newly released true-crime docuseries Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert dives into a horrifying kidnapping case from 2012. It follows the abduction of a successful medical marijuana dispensary owner, Michael S. (a pseudonym to protect his identity), and a woman named Mary Barnes, who were brutally tortured in Newport Beach, California.

Wicked Game: Devil in The Desert also highlights the efforts of Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy and lead detective Ryan Peters, who left no stone unturned in tracking down the man behind this complex abduction case. As the search began, they discovered a man named Hossein Nayeri was the mastermind.

However, Nayeri wasn't alone in this crime. While he was the main bad guy, Nayeri received help from his two accomplices, Naomi Rhodus and Ryan Kevorkian. As revealed in Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert, Rhodus and Kevorkian accompanied Nayeri at the time of the kidnapping of Michael and Barnes.

The two were deeply involved in the crime and were longtime friends. While Hossein Nayeri managed to flee to Iran from the US, Naomi Rhodus and Ryan Kevorkian failed to escape.

Continue reading to know more about the shocking abduction case and the culprits involved.

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New docuseries Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert follows a chilling abduction case

As mentioned above, Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert explores one of the most chilling abduction cases in the United States. What's even more startling is that the crime took place because of the myth that Michael S. had $1 million in cash, which was buried in the Mojave Desert.

The three longtime friends, Hossein Nayeri, Naomi Rhodus, and Ryan Kevorkian, had been planning to harm the marijuana dispensary owner for months. While Nayeri crafted the entire plan, Rhodus and Kevorkian accompanied him in all his tactics to carry out the crime.

In October 2012, the kidnapper broke into Michael's house and even took his housemate, Mary Barnes, with them. The motive behind torturing Michael was to force him into revealing where he had buried the cash, which he didn't.

Nayeri, along with Naomi Rhodus and Ryan Kevorkian, began torturing the two. As explained in Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert, they not only poured bleach on Micheal's wounds but horrifically severed his genitalia.

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While he was left to die in the deserted place, Barnes tried to escape. The woman shared in the three-part docuseries:

"I immediately -- I sat up, I pushed my blindfold up with my knees. It was just before sunrise, so there was just enough light that I could see it glinting on the knife. I was able to scooch over to it on my butt. And I have no idea how I did it. It must've just been pure adrenaline, but I cut the zip tie between my feet."

Since the kidnappers didn't torture Barnes, she managed to leave the place and ask for help. Following her escape, the police were informed about the case, and the investigation began. Thankfully, Michael S. made it out alive, but the man was severely beaten up and found in a critical condition.

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The investigation and arrest of Naomi Rhodus and Ryan Kevorkian

As revealed in Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert, the abduction case began to unfold when a neighbor of the victims reported a suspicious van and even helped in identifying a plate number. When the investigators searched the vehicle number, they tracked down a marijuana dealer, Kyle Handley.

As they searched Handley's house, the investigators found evidence linking Nayeri, Naomi Rhodus, and Ryan Kevorkian to the crime. Rhodus and Kevorkian were then arrested in 2013 and charged for their involvement in the kidnapping and torture of Michael S. and Mary Barnes.

Since Nayeri had fled to Iran, Naomi Rhodus and Ryan Kevorkian agreed to cooperate. However, they still had to serve the punishment. While Kevorkian was given 12 years and eight months in prison. He then became eligible for parole in 2023.

As for Naomi Rhodus, she was sentenced to three years of informal probation in March 2022. Similar to Kevorkian, Rhodus also received credit, and the two are living their lives out of the public eye.

Since the authorities didn't give up on Nayeri, he was finally captured in the Czech Republic. After being declared guilty of the crime, Nayeri was convicted. He again made headlines for escaping the jail but was given two life sentences in 2020.

Don't miss out on watching Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert only on Hulu.

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